Mount Isa Baptist Church

Three Kinds of Prayer: Ask – Seek – Knock

Matthew 7:7-12

1. Ask - Ask not, and you get not: John Trapp said: “God never denied that soul anything that went as far as heaven to ask for it.” The dictionary defines the verb as to make a request as a favor. Now, we can’t ask a stranger without doubting. But we can certainly ask our earthly fathers with the assurance that we will receive what we ask for. Likewise, the Bible says God is our heavenly father. According to Matthew 21:22, however, there are 2 conditions: “You have to ask in faith and then act in faith.”

Ask in faith: Thomas Aquinas said, “Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.” Don’t confuse faith with self-confidence. Faith is not an emotion or a feeling either. It’s not gambling or blind faith or leaving your life at the hands of uncertainty, as some people would like to call it. It’s the conviction that the invisible God will provide us what we hope for. Hebrews 11:1: Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.

Act in faith: Martin Luther said: “Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.” The Bible in James 2:26 says that faith not accompanied by actions is dead. Faith isn’t just something you talk about. It’s something you do. Faith is only activated when we act. The Bible says in Mark 11:24 that one of the ways we act in faith is to believe we already received what we asked for.

2. Seek - Pray in accord with God’s will: James 4:3 says we must prayerfully seek God’s will because he doesn’t answer prayers which contradict his word. In Matthew 7:9-11, we learn God will not answer our prayers if what we pray for could harm us. He is our heavenly father, and he cares for us. In Philippians 4:19, God promised to provide all our needs only. Not all our wants.

3. Knock - Intercessory Prayer: William Law said: “There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as pray for him.” Most of the time that Jesus spent in prayer was allocated to pray for others more than he prayed for himself. The Bible says failure in intercede for our brethren is a sin in the eyes of the Lord.1 Samuel 12:23: Now as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. I'll also instruct you in the way that is good and right. The Bible also urges us to pray for our leaders so that God will give them the wisdom they need to lead. 1Timothy 2:1- 3.

The importance: When we intercede, we express our concern to God about the interests of others. Not just our own interests. Philippians 2:4: Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others. When we intercede, we delay God’s wrath and expedite his deliverance. When we intercede, we actually pray according to the desire of God’s heart. Genesis 18:32: Finally, Abraham inquired, “I hope my LORD will not be angry if I speak only once more. What if ten are found there?" He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I won't destroy it.” I want to urge you to spend time with God, talk to Him sincerely and honestly, and cast your cares on Him. Then find out what He wants to do and follow His lead.